Supported media files for Meta Reels and Stories
Meta reels publishing requirements
Video files accepted types
Acteol SE accepts a wide range of video files in your Asset Library, including: mp4, mov, mp3, 3gp, fiv, avi, m4p, m4v, gifv, wmv, wav.
However, for Facebook & Instagram publishing, Meta only supports specific formats for Reels and Stories: MP4 or MOV.
Video files recommended audio bitrate
Also, the recommended video audio bitrate is:
96–128 kbps for voice
128–192 kbps for music
⚠️Important: Higher bitrates may reduce compression efficiency or increase file size unnecessarily.
Maximum video file size limits
Acteol SE's maximum video size is 150 MB for any video uploaded into the Asset Library.
⚠️Important: Higher bitrates may reduce compression efficiency or increase file size unnecessarily.
Meta Stories requirements
When publishing Facebook Stories, you must upload a photo or video that fits Meta’s required specifications:
Photo stories support png, jpg, jpeg and gif formats.
Images must not exceed 5 MB, and for .png files, Meta recommends staying below 1 MB to avoid pixelation.
Video story requirements mirror Reel specifications in many ways:
Supported file types are .mp4 and .mov.
A recommended 1080 × 1920 px resolution and a 9:16 vertical aspect ratio.
Meta supports frame rates between 24 and 60 FPS, and story videos may run from 3 to 90 seconds, though any video used as a story cannot exceed 60 seconds.
Video settings should follow chroma subsampling 4:2:0, closed GOP (2–5 seconds), and progressive scan using H.264 or H.265, with VP9 and AV1 also acceptable.
Audio must follow the same AAC LC, stereo, 48 kHz, 128 kbps+ guidelines as Reels.
🤓Tip: For stories, shorter clips are strongly recommended. While Meta’s in‑app tools can split longer videos automatically, API‑based uploads, like those from Acteol SE, perform best when stories are delivered as short, single vertical clips.
Carousel posts requirements
For carousel formats on Instagram, you can include up to 10 images per carousel.
Aspect ratios and orientation
Reels
To ensure your content displays correctly on Facebook or Instagram, videos should be prepared in a vertical 9:16 aspect ratio. This format is required for reels and strongly recommended for stories, helping avoid issues like cropping, black bars or distorted framing.
Meta further recommends that reels do not exceed 1920 pixels in horizontal width when using this vertical layout.
Stories
Best in 9:16 vertical full‑screen format.
If you upload wide or square videos, Meta may:
Add black bars
Crop the edges
Reduce quality
🤓Tip: Preparing your videos in the correct orientation before uploading them into Acteol SE ensures they appear as intended once they reach the social platform.
Audio requirements
It is best to keep your audio bitrate within a moderate range, typically between 96 and 192 kbps depending on whether the content is voice‑led or music‑led.This ensures a balance between quality and file size.
Exceedingly high audio bitrates may inflate your file beyond Acteol SE’s 150 MB limit or cause slower processing once the file reaches Meta’s servers. Staying within this recommended range helps maintain compatibility and avoids unnecessary upload delays.
Processing times and publishing delays
After you upload a file through Acteol SE and submit it for publishing, Meta must first transcode the media. During this stage, the upload is evaluated, converted and prepared for playback within the platform.
🤓Tip: Larger videos, higher resolutions and longer durations naturally extend these processing times, so it is normal to experience a short delay before the file becomes available for publishing.